Epic adventures are only part of the appeal of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth books. What really set Tolkien apart from other fantasy writers was his skill at crafting entire worlds—and at showing how important language is to history and identity. How much do you know about Tolkien’s linguistic world?

While bemoaning his struggles with translating the Middle English poem “Pearl,” Tolkien declared to his aunt, Jane Neave, that ‘a translator is not free”: but he neglected to delineate the specific rules by which he believed translators were shackled.

The body of this study presents the results of a survey of certain major medieval works in English, Norse, Irish, Welsh, French, German, and Italian, particularly those alluded to in Tolkien’s published scholarship and those suggested as possible sources in reviews of Tolkien’s fiction

In the spring of 2014 a translation of Beowulf by J.R.R. Tolkien was published. Last week, Andy Orchard, one of the leading scholars of Old English, offered his thoughts about the book and revealed that he will be writing his own translation of the famous medieval poem.

Much has already been written about the influence of Norse mythology on The Lord of the Rings. Less research has so far been done about how other aspects of the culture and history of the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons influenced Tolkien’s writing.

One of the most famous scenes in the story of The Hobbit is when Bilbo meets up with Gollum in the caves under the Misty Mountains. The two engage in a game of riddles, and Bilbo is able to escape with his life and a magical ring. Here are eight of the riddles they told each other – can you solve them?

This paper seeks to illuminate resonances of medieval swords and sword-lore in Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, where swords and the lore associated with them play important, if largely neglected, roles.

Are you ready to journey into Middle-earth one last time? Come celebrate the final film in Peter Jackson’s epic film series, The Hobbit, with us and find out which member of Thorin’s Company you’re most like!

Michael Drout, a professor of English and director of the Center for the Study of the Medieval at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts believes that Tolkien’s immense and lasting popularity can be explained by a ‘perfect storm hypothesis.’

Considering the scarcity of the Anglo-Saxon influence in modern war-literature in general, one may wonder and stop by a work like The Lord of the Rings or Silmarillion, which few would be willing to categorise as serious war-literature.

Medieval Warfare

Read about the rise and fall of the Assassins in the latest issue of Medieval Warfare. Click here to order the magazine.

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